Short Summary

INTRODUCTION: Ice hockey, and a crushing defeat for Canada by the Soviet Union in the world championship in Austria on Sunday (24 April).

Description

INTRODUCTION: Ice hockey, and a crushing defeat for Canada by the Soviet Union in the world championship in Austria on Sunday (24 April). In their biggest international defeat yet, the Canadians were hammered 11-1 in the first round of the championship being held in Vienna. Canada's coach John Wilson called the defeat "embarrassing and humiliating" and the Canadian team was booed by the crowd when it refused to acknowledge the Soviet flag at the end of the match.

SYNOPSIS: The Soviet team, appropriately wearing red, blocked this early Canadian attack and opened the scoring in the ninth minute. The Soviet Number 26, Helmut Balderis was the scorer.

After that it was uphill all the way for the Canadian team, who were left standing by the Soviet scoring machine. This time it was Valery Kharlamov who put it away.

With 30 minutes gone, Helmut Balderis went for his second goal, and got it.

The Russians played a tough, technical game which at time became a hockey exhibition as they skated round the helpless Canadians, Vladimir Petrov, the Soviet Number 16, put in a beautiful long shot, to put the Russians even further ahead.

The Soviet Union's Number 15, Boris Mikhailov, was another player to score twice. One of his goals came after this Russian attack.

Canada's single goal came from Rich Hampton the Canadian Number 2. But tempers seemed to rise soon afterwards and the players had to be restrained.

The Russian goals just never stopped coming -- this time it was Viktor Zhlutkov. The Canadians must have been glad when it was all over.